Manual propulsion of a watercraft is known in the art. Manual propulsion of watercraft is generally afforded via one of two methods: the direct use of the user's hands and/or feet; or through the use of one or more paddles. A user's use of the hands and/or feet directly to propel the watercraft generally requires the user to be in a prone position on a surfboard, knee board, etc. The user's arms and/or feet are positioned outside of the body of the board where a traditional swim stroke is employed to propel both the user and the board forward.
A second approach utilizes paddles wherein a paddled end of an oar is dipped into the water and pulled through the water by a canoer or kayaker. Pulling the paddle through the water serves to advance the canoe or kayak across the water's surface. However, in a typical canoe/kayak application, these systems generally require that a user be seated within a vessel and usually only allow paddling from one side of the watercraft at a time. This requires the user to alternate sides of paddling in order to keep the vessel going in a straight line. Thus, every stroke requires the user to lift the paddle completely from the water and pass it over the vessel to transfer it to the other side. This approach is inefficient as only one side of the watercraft is being used for propulsion and energy is wasted by the constant transferring of the paddle.
An alternative paddling approach known in the art includes the provision of a pedal-powered paddle system. These systems are generally situated within a vessel in which the user is in a seated position with the pedals located at the user's feet. The user then generally employs a cycling motion with his or her feet (similar to that used when riding a bicycle) to drive a paddle mechanism. The cycling motion of the paddle mechanism is translated to a paddlewheel situated beneath the surface of the water. As the paddlewheel turns, the watercraft moves through the water.
More recently, the water sport of paddleboarding has gained in popularity. In paddleboarding, a user stands on a board similar to a surfboard and employs a long-handled paddle similar to those used by kayakers. While standing on the paddleboard, the user alternates dipping of the paddle into the water on either side of the paddleboard. Pulling the paddle through the water causes the paddleboard to propel along the water's surface. The alternating swinging of the paddle, along with the pull exerted by the water, makes it difficult for the user to maintain balance, particularly for those initially learning or for those of limited skills. This is coupled to the other drawbacks discussed above, particularly those related to efficiency.
What is needed in the art is an arm-powered apparatus for propelling a watercraft through the water that can be used from a seated or standing position without requiring alternating strokes of a paddle to provide such propulsion. The arm-powered apparatus should further impart a propulsion force from both sides of the vessel during each stroke, but may also be able to allow for selective stroking from only one side of the watercraft so as to enable turning of the watercraft.